This slum got a paint job, now it’s called the ‘rainbow village’

What was once a no-man’s land is now Indonesia’s newest tourist attraction – all thanks to a lot of creativity and AUS$29K (US$22K) worth of paint.

Kampung Pelangi, which literally means ‘Rainbow Village’, is a 223-house suburb that was recently repainted in an effort to shed its poor image and drive up tourism. The local council provided the funding, and the residents did the rest, painting each house a minimum of three different colours and putting murals everywhere.

Judging by these vibrant photos, it looks like the project was a complete success.

Now the town is being flocked by tourists eager to snap photos to post on Instagram. “We saw the pictures on Instagram before we decided to come here. It is truly awesome!” one tourist said.

The renovation was the idea of a local high school principal who was inspired by a similar project in three other villages.

“Hopefully, Kampung Pelangi will be the biggest one in Indonesia and offer a new tourist attraction in Semarang,” the educator said.

With tourism revenues shooting up and local businesses thriving, the government already has plans of cleaning the nearby river and painting more houses.